I love Sarah Gailey. I think they're an incredible writer. I have no idea how to review this book.
Without spoiling, I did not see the twist coming and, without trying to sound pretentious, I often see twists coming. All I knew is that I should keep going, even if at points I felt like I shouldn't - this was the correct choice.
To sum up: I am flabbergasted by this book.
Full review on YouTube.

Oh, this is CREEPY creepy.

I'm behind on writing my reviews, but I read this around Halloween, which is absolutely the best time to read it. Fair warning -- the first part of this book is slow -- but the payoff is worth it.

This was such an intriguing read and I thought it was very well written. The book had many aspects that made it definitely worth the read, but I was disappointed by the ending and the way the storyline pans out. I didn’t exactly enjoy the supernatural parts to the story which makes me sad because I love the supernatural. I think it would have been far better if it had focused more upon the psychological thriller aspects. However as a thriller and potential supernatural horror it was an exciting read. I would recommend this for someone who enjoys creepy and surreal psychological thrillers.

3.5 rounded up.

A great read by this author. I definitely recommend checking this one out!
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

This story focuses around a young woman Vera, who comes back to her childhood home that her father built to take care of her dying mother. The only way I can describe what happens after is ensuing chaos! I really liked all the characters and when Vera’s story is told in the past, it really gives insight into what’s happening to her now. I really enjoyed the originality of the story and the ending wrapped everything up perfectly! I would definitely recommend to anyone into domestic horror stories!

I ended up dnfing this one because it was so incredibly slow. I ended up being spoiled in the twist and I’m glad I stopped out on this one. Normally I love Sarah Hailey but this one was a miss for me

Vera hears her witch of a mom is dying and goes back to the house, to help her in her last few days. There’s tension in that the mom resents Vera for taking the dad away (how/why is revealed halfway through the story).

The backstory? Interesting, compelling, would definitely influence how you turn out as an adult.

The present-day? It’s complicated. It’s wild that Vera has developed zero personality in more than ten years. It’s confusing what role the weird artist or any character outside of the family is supposed to play. I don't think it's that the twist was not compelling, I just felt like it diluted the past story. It made the motivations of the characters weaker, and it left a lot of technical questions.

This one was unique, and I think if I was a bigger horror fan I would have loved it. Unfortunately, although the writing was strong and Gailey did a great job setting the scene and the mood, it just wasn't the book for me.

A strange mix of thriller and body horror. Not my personal cup of tea, but I think it will find many fans.

I felt like this book took a little long to really get interesting for me. When it did though it was pleasant to read. It was originally creepy and kept me guessing but I wish it was a little bit more fast paced.

It’s not often I read something that leaves me thinking, “Oh, holy shit. What did I just read?” But Just Like Home left me doing exactly that. In the best way possible. This story places you dead center in what may very well be the most toxic family outside of Williamson County, Texas. I mean, this family is JACKED UP. Daddy was a notorious serial murderer. There’s almost no way Mama didn’t know (although she claims publicly that she didn’t). Vera’s no peach, and now there’s some lowly parasite living in the guesthouse pilfering bits and pieces of the notorious Crowder house to make his exploitative art.

And then there’s the house itself. I love a story where the house gets the character treatment, and that is certainly the case in Just Like Home. Crowder house is honestly terrifying. It holds more secrets than a high school girl’s hair.

Actually, pretty much all the things that Janice and Ian have to say about Gretchen Weiner in the ‘Katy learns about the Plastics’ scene in Mean Girls kind of applies to Crowder house. Like, she really does know everything about everyone.

I love how awful Vera’s parents are. And I love even more that they’re nuanced-awful. It’s not that they’re all bad. Even Vera’s dad (who you may recall is a serial murderer) has his high points. He cherishes his daughter. He spends time with her (not killing – they fish and stuff). She loves him endlessly. Her mom comes off to me as having less positive traits, but…I’m sure they’re there. She’s just so bitter and cruel and relentlessly nasty. But sometimes you can sort of see someone who loves her daughter, but is just irreparably broken inside. I swear, it’s sometimes almost visible.

If books with wild endings and shitty people are your thing, I don’t know that you’ll ever find a story more suited to you than Just Like Home. This book is straight bonkerballs in the most gripping, beautifully written and fleshed out (ewww) way possible.

This review publishes on my website January 25, 2023 at 10:30 AM CST

I thought this book was very interesting, I wasn't sure where it was taking me, but I enjoyed the ride. The whole storyline was unrealistic and not relatable. I think that what made me not put it down and reach for something else.

Vera was a good point of view to read from, she was different from any character I've ever read. I liked her whole inner monologue and seeing her thought process of the happenings.

Overall, I recommend this one if you like mysterious, unrealistic books. It was definitely categorized correctly as a horror book, that's for sure. I found it more creepy than horrific, but that's just my opinion.

Vera has spent a long period of time intentionally avoiding her mother and her childhood home.  However, when her mother begs her to come home, she returns to the home of her deceased father, the serial killer. When Vera arrives, she finds her mother is not alone. An artist has moved into the guest home and like a parasite is feeding on the history of the house and her mother. When Vera starts finding notes around the house in her father's handwriting, she realizes that she will have to dig into the very foundations of the Crowder House if she ever wants to be free again. 

Sarah Gailey is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors.  Her pacing is smart, giving this thriller just the correct amount of creepy and fascinating. 

Just Like Home is now available.

Vera returns to her childhood home after many years away to care for her dying mother. This is no typical house - Vera’s father was a serial killer and he killed in their house. There’s so much more going on here than you think, and no one is what they seem. I like horror and I liked this book, but it’s definitely unlike any other horror novel I’ve read.

This book was so frustrating. I really wanted to like it but the story lacked any depth. I felt like the ending didn't really tie up very well. Overall disappointed with this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having enjoyed Gailey's previous novel, I was looking forward to this one. While the first half felt a bit slow, the second half really grabbed my attention and made up for it! The ending fit perfectly, as well.

3 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2022/12/19/just-like-home-by-sarah-gailey/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Disturbingly dark, haunting and compelling

So Just Like Home isn’t my first Gailey read nor will it be my last. In some respects, and to be perfectly honest, I’m not entirely sure that I liked this and yet I was glued to the pages and can’t deny that the author has come up with a compelling read.

I’m not going to discuss the plot other than to say this is about a woman, called back to her childhood home where her mother is dying. This is a strange house. Once home to a serial killer unspeakable crimes have taken place behind it’s closed doors and if it’s possible for a house to absorb the evil, to become a haunting itself then I’d say this particular home has turned into something creepy, not to mention, the house itself has become something of a macabre museum.

The main character is Vera and her story is told in alternating timelines. We flip backwards and forwards to a much younger version and observe the strained relationship Vera has with her mother whilst enjoying a close bond with her father. The later storyline is about Vera’s reluctant return home at the request of her mother. The other main character is a young man, an artist, who seems to have wangled himself into the affections of Vera’s mother and is undertaking a project that involves an art installation using bits and pieces of house memorabilia.

I’m not going to elaborate too much more as I don’t really want to give anything away but I would say that this does make for a disturbing read and there are numerous elements that compel you to keep reading. I found myself fascinated by Vera, I couldn’t make my mind up if she was a reliable narrator or not, she came across at times as scared to be in the house but at the same time as her secrets are slowly revealed I found that impossible to believe. To be truthful I actually didn’t like any of the characters here and this is something that undoubtedly makes me struggle to like a book. I mean, on the one hand, you’re not really supposed to like these characters, they’re hard and unforgiving, but on the other hand I wanted somebody here to redeem themselves a little. If I manage to put those particular feelings to one side I can confess that I was hooked, I wasn’t maybe pleasantly hooked, but I simply couldn’t stop reading. The thirst for clarity pushed me onwards. I was fascinated by Vera’s childhood and desperate to know what really happened all those years ago.

So, although I wouldn’t say that I particularly enjoyed this book, it’s dark, a bit dismal, a little slow to start and is populated with characters that are impossible to like, it is undoubtedly a hypnotic read with startlingly eloquent prose and a shocking ending that brings a touch of the supernatural. If you like your horror to come with a touch of weird then give this one a try.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

This book has a slow burn but it is worth it. Stick with it. This is a story about Vera who returns home upon her dying mother's request and then the horror begins. This book was worth sticking to and got much better about 65% of the way thru. At this point I was not able to put the book down.

I was truly looking forward to read this book, but I feel that it was too slow for my liking and I had a hard time getting into the story.

Vera has returned home to her dying mother Daphne, who seems to really dislike her daughter. Crowder House has a notorious history where very bad things happened while Vera was a little girl. Not only she lost her father to the evils of the house, but her mother seems to despise her and blames her for everything that went wrong all those years ago. Now that Vera is back, she is trying to come to terms with the horrors she witnessed as a young girl and to differentiate what was real and what was not. As Vera untangles her family drama, she realizes that she is more in sync with the house that she realized at first, and she is now the only one who can save the home she grew up in before an outsider takes ownership of the place her father built from scratch.

While this story was definitely scary, I also felt like it dragged for too long. The first two thirds of the book are very slow, and I didn't really started to get into the story until halfway the book. I wish more of the supernatural aspects of the book had been revealed earlier as it made it hard to figure out what was really happening. I found myself skipping some parts because Vera was in a constant internal monologue mode that made it hard to follow. She was also very unlikable and didn't really provide any insight about why her relationship with her mother was so bad until towards the end, so it was hard to feel sympathy for her. The book is told in dual timelines: present life and Vera as a young girl, and I was more engaged with the past timeline because it provides more details about what was really happening with the house and Vera. Overall, I felt that the book was too long but once it picks up, it gets easier to read.

This story already starts out odd, what with having a serial killer for a father and a distant mother, but the author takes you deep into the life inside the walls of this house and introduces you to a horror you didn't expect. Sometimes, the safest place to be is inside the haunted house.